


Roses are Red

by Quackyeon



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Chanyeol is a great friend, Confessions, High School AU, M/M, Misunderstandings, Yifan in gay panic, confident Tao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:28:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24999829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quackyeon/pseuds/Quackyeon
Summary: When Yifan sent an anonymous red rose to Zitao for Valentine's Day he didn't expect the other to work out it was him and now he doesn't know what to do
Relationships: Huang Zi Tao | Z.Tao/Wu Yi Fan | Kris
Comments: 9
Kudos: 29
Collections: November Rain Fest Round 2





	Roses are Red

**Author's Note:**

> November Rain Prompt: NR2083
> 
> Thank you to the mods for running this fest that honestly gave me a chance to come back to writing Kris and Tao 
> 
> Thanks to T who literally listened while I cried about not knowing how to end it and then cheering me on when I solved my own problems and then got stuck again.
> 
> Thank you much to my group of writers on discord that supported me and we all cried about our plots and ideas not going quite the way we wanted it to. You're all the best <3 
> 
> Finally thank you to you, the reader. I would appreciate any comments and kudos, but even if you're a silent reader thank you so much for clicking this link and giving this story a chance.

Yifan would say that he was not a complete coward, but he was. He had sent his crush a single red rose and smiled when he saw Zitao's face when he saw the flower on his desk, watching him as he smelt it, looking at the note that came with it. Zitao had looked around to see if there was someone who had sent but had given up and showed it to all of his friends. Yifan had wondered who it was he was hoping to receive a rose from, Chanyeol had told him that he should have signed his name, but Yifan was not brave enough for that. He was pretty sure that he had fallen for Tao the day that he had arrived. Zitao had transferred the year prior, and now it was their last year of high school, they were about to go onto college - and Yifan knew that he should stop admiring Zitao from afar but he could not help himself. Yifan ignored the look that he had gotten from Baekhyun who was sat with Zitao, it was not possible that someone would be onto him, no one could know - he was just interested in watching Zitao gushing over the rose that he'd gotten. Yifan had taken a while to pick which one to get, he had debated a blue rose, but it wasn't natural and then was red too cliche? Was pink too subtle? White was probably a weird choice, honestly why were there so many roses? It was crazy. He'd settled on the red because he felt like Zitao was probably a classic kind of guy. The main plus with Zitao was that he did know that him and Zitao were playing for the same team, in the almost two years that Zitao had been here, he had been an active member of the LGBT society and he had a pride flag button on his backpack - also Chanyeol had asked Baekhyun about it once. Zitao had settled down, looking after his rose, occasionally holding it and looking at it and Yifan could not help but smile, imagining how he'd brightened Zitao's valentine's day. He knew that he could probably have left his name on there too. He was sure that Zitao wouldn't have embarrassed him. In the days after Yifan could hear the other asking around for who might have sent the rose.

What Yifan did not expect was to find Zitao waiting by his locker on March 14th. Zitao stared at him and then moved, pulling out a white rose from behind his back. "Happy White Day." He said looking at Yifan, who was just dumbfounded staring at the white rose. "I mean this is what I'm supposed to do right? Give a gift today to reciprocate for Valentine's day?" 

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Oh you don't know white day? I mean we didn't do it in Qingdao - but you've been in Korea longer than me." Zitao said looking at him. "Or are you claiming that the rose wasn't you?" 

"Zitao-" 

"Well... do you like me? Or was it some joke? Did you and Chanyeol and the other basketball guys think it was funny to just send the gay kid a rose?" Zitao now looked hurt, but that hurt was slowly turning into defiance. "I mean really Yifan, if you wanted to embarrass me I'm sure you could have done something far more creative than sending me a rose and then acting like you didn't even know me. You can keep the white rose." 

"I-I" 

"Can you just take the rose so I don't have to stand here looking like a complete fool?" Zitao glared at him. Yifan took the rose and Zitao just turned and walked away, not letting Yifan say anything. Chanyeol arrived a little later, and Yifan was still just holding the white rose and looking through his books. 

"So Tao likes you back?" 

"Tao?" 

"Oh... you know Baekhyun is my project partner, he calls him Tao. Yeah." Chanyeol said with a little smile, Yifan just sighed, shutting his locker and leaning against it, still holding the rose and looking at it. Tao had picked out a white rose for white day, he'd really thought about what he wanted to give him and somehow Yifan had managed to mess it up without even trying. "So what's with the face? I thought you'd be happy that Tao liked you back, you've been into him since his first day here." 

"Well I've messed up Yeol, I don't think he's going to talk to me again." Yifan leant his head back against his locker. "I just want to go home." 

"Please, how could you mess it up that badly you have a rose?" 

"He think's I was messing with him, when I gave him the first rose." 

"And why would he think that?" Chanyeol said raising a brow. "I am confused Yifan, all you had to do was take a rose and then be all cute and probably become his boyfriend - how in the world have you managed to ruin that?" Yifan began to try to think of how to explain that he had kind of managed to ruin this all. Chanyeol interrupted him. "Why in the world did you let him think that you were just playing a trick on him!? And us basketball boys are not like, some of our team are gay and bi and whatever - I mean you're the captain." Chanyeol sighed looking at Yifan. "Look, maybe he was just panicking, you can talk to him after English." Chanyeol grabbed his books and they walked to class. Baekhyun was sat at his desk looking over at the door, eyes narrowing at Yifan and then he turned back to front of the class. Tao wasn't here yet, which Yifan guessed was a good thing, he needed to think of what exactly to say. It was only when the class started that Baekhyun put his hand up. 

"Zitao isn't here today, he felt sick so the nurse sent him home." Baekhyun said before shooting a glare Yifan's way. Yifan just wanted to shrink into nothingness, Baekhyun was clearly angry with him, so obviously Tao had told him why he was not feeling good and there was one thing Yifan did know, was that Baekhyun was not the kind to hold back when he had a problem with someone. Yifan was pretty sure Baekhyun could take down anyone with just words, and that was something he was looking to avoid. 

After class Baekhyun came over as Yifan and Chanyeol were packing up, talking about the match that was coming up. Yifan was trying to keep his mind off how he'd just ruined his chance with Tao. Baekhyun slammed his hands on Yifan's desk making the taller man jump. "Baek." Chanyeol said looking at the smaller man as if trying to communicate with him. 

"Don't Baek me Chanyeol - I'll talk to you later." He narrowed his eyes. "I'll see you at lunch to work on that project, let me talk to Yifan alone." When Chanyeol obeyed Yifan could not help but feel betrayed, if looks could kill he was sure Baekhyun would have murdered him in the most painful way possible. "Don't talk to Tao again." Baekhyun glared. "I thought you were different, but it turns out you're just the same as most of the jocks in this school. You might think it was just a fun joke, but I can promise you that it wasn't and I hope you fall for someone like you." Baekhyun turned and stormed out with such ferocity that Yifan was pretty sure the door was going to fall off it's hinges. 

Yifan tried not to think too much about it, he needed to try to think of a way to fix it - and with Baekhyun looking at him like he was going burn holes in his chest with the intensity of his glares. Yifan was unsure of where to go from here and after lunch Chanyeol was acting subdued - but Yifan just could not get out of his own head. 

After school they rode the bus together in silence, Yifan holding the white rose that Tao had given him. When they were walking home that evening Chanyeol stopped him. "You like Tao, for real, right?" 

"I told you Yeol. I really like him. You know I've liked him for so long." 

"Then why didn't you just tell him today, you could have gone home with a boyfriend." 

"I know that Yeol, but I panicked." Yifan sighed continuing to walk, he just wanted to get home and probably cry about how he'd completely messed this up. "I panicked and he just jumped to conclusions before I could say anything." 

"Yifan, honestly I don't know... I don't know if you can come back from this." Chanyeol said following him. "I mean, he was clearly really upset if he faked sick to go home." 

"I just need to apologise." Yifan said, he tried to think of what he could say to Tao, it would be easier if he planned it. "I mean, I didn't think he'd ever find out it was me and I was surprised to get this white rose." He said looking over at it. "I should be happy but I can't help but feel that I have possibly ruined it all." 

"Want me to be honest?" Chanyeol asked, "You've messed up, but if you do really want to fix it I'm sure you can." 

Yifan ended up telling his mom that night about everything, trying to work out what he should do. He took her advice, he was going to speak clearly and explain everything to Tao. His mom had always been there for him, and part of him talking to her about Tao, he was sure was a surprise, he had told her before that he had liked someone at school but never really mentioned that it was a boy. Yifan was not sure what label he was - but he also did not care - and from the fact that his mom's face and voice never changed, clearly she did not care either. Yifan was going to talk to Tao, he was going to fix it all, he had to. 

However, that was easier said than done - Tao was actively avoiding him. Every time he tried to talk to him, Tao would walk in the opposite direction, or just make an excuse. He was starting to get frustrated, he even debated trying to talk to Baekhyun about it - it was probably a death sentence though. Chanyeol was attempting to be supportive but Yifan could see his friend was getting frustrated with it all. Yifan was starting to give up on it all, maybe he should just try to move on. He had the white rose in a little vase on his bedside table, so he got to lie in his bed and stare at it. How could he have had the chance to have everything he wanted and then just not said anything. It was frustrating - he had fallen at the final hurdle and now Tao was never going to talk to him again. He debated writing him a letter, but then how could he make sure that Tao read it. 

After trying for almost a week Yifan was studying with Chanyeol in his house when there was a knock on the door. He went down to answer it and Baekhyun marched in, dragging Tao behind him - who looked less than enthusiastic to be there. "Need to speak to Chanyeol." He huffed, Yifan laughed a little and shut the door before taking them up to his room. Baekhyun stopped and looked at Chanyeol. "I need to talk to you about our biology project." 

"But we finish-" 

"Well you think we finished, come with me." Baekhyun demanded, before taking Chanyeol out of the room leaving Yifan alone in the room with Tao. The other Chinese man looked around, Yifan was pretty sure the other was trying to think of any way he could leave. 

"They always end up partnered," Yifan shrugged, "I don't know why, Baekhyun seems to... not ever like Chanyeol's work, they do so much work together, more than most other pairs." Tao had taken a step closer to the bed, and gently touched the rose. 

"Oh you kept my rose." He said not looking at Yifan, which only led the man to wonder if Tao had kept the red one he had given him. 

"Yeah I've been trying to talk to you about that." 

"I don't think we have anything to talk about Yifan." 

"Tao." 

"My friends call me that." 

"Zitao, please, can you just let me talk for once." 

Tao turned around and eyed him, arms crossed, looking unimpressed. "Go on then, if you have something to say. I can't stop you talking anyway." 

"I sent you the rose on Valentine's day." 

"I know that." 

"Zitao." Yifan sighed, "I sent you the rose because I _like_ you and I was just too nervous to do it properly." 

"Ah yes, you like me, do you? That's why you thought it would be fun to make me look like a complete idiot on white day. I'd spent ages trying to decide if you were fucking with me or not and then when I decided to take a chance on the cute captain I was reminded why basketball players can go fuck themselves." Tao glared at him. 

"Zitao. Will you just listen to me. I panicked, when you confronted me. I just was afraid - surely you can understand that fear." Yifan sighed, "I was scared and you freaked out before you even gave my brain a chance to catch up with my mouth and I couldn't tell you that I really wanted to take your rose. That I have liked you since you first transferred. I just needed a second to stop being an idiot." He could see that Tao's expression had softened and his arms had uncrossed. "I also didn't know what I was supposed to do, like was I supposed to ask you out? Was I supposed to make some love declaration? I just - I've never done this before." 

"Oh." Tao said quietly. "I... In my old school I was- someone from a sports team did that to me to laugh at me. I just thought you were the same." Yifan felt hurt to know that someone had done that Tao, and he just wanted to go back in time and make sure that Tao knew he was not one of those guys. "I should have given you more of a chance. Baekhyun told me that you weren't like those guys but I just couldn't believe him." 

"I'm sorry that I hurt you." Yifan bit his lip. "Would you let me make it up to you? Can I take you on a date?" 

"You still want to?" 

"It was a misunderstanding, and I really want to show you that I'm sincere."

\- ☆ - ★ - ☆ -

The final klaxon sounded and after the handshake, Yifan's first thought was to go find his boyfriend. Tao had come down from the stand so Yifan could immediately wrap his arms around the other and gave him a quick kiss, taking his hand with a smile and walking him over to the benches to grab his things, they walked back to the changing rooms together before sharing a final chaste kiss so Yifan could go and get changed. The team had just taken to Tao being Yifan's boyfriend, no one had ever said anything about it and Yifan was relieved, he had no time to deal with negativity like that and he did not want Tao to experience any negativity.

Yifan came out and smiled taking his boyfriend's hand again and walking with him out of the sports hall. "Do you want to come to dinner, my mom said we would have pizza." 

"Your mom already invited me." Tao said with a playful grin, everything had just fallen into place and Yifan had never been so happy.


End file.
